Their Stories
by kookith
Summary: 25 stories of NeumannxNatarle for the NxN 25 TITLES from Japanese fan sites. NeumannxNatarle. Updated: 08.Birthday: Happy Birthday to Natarle!
1. 00 Intro

**Their Stories**

NxN 25 Titles  
(from Japanese fan sites)

1. 不器用な恋 - Awkward Love  
2. スーツ - Suit  
3. 無重力気分 - Weightless Feeling  
4. ため息 - A Sigh  
5. 癖 - Habit  
6. 煙草 - Cigarette  
7. 視線 - Gaze  
8. 誕生日 - Birthday  
9. おはよう - Good Morning  
10. 微熱 - Slight Fever  
11. メガネ - Glasses  
12. 二人きり - Just the Two of Us  
13. 反則 - Breaking the Rules  
14. 猫 - Cat  
15. 選択肢 - Choices  
16. お邪魔虫？- Meddlesome Pest?  
17. 嫉妬 - Jealousy  
18. 特等席 - VIP Seat  
19. ファーストネーム - First Name  
20. 独占欲 - Monopolistic Desires  
21. デザート - Dessert  
22. 声が聞きたい - I Want to Hear Your Voice  
23. キス - Kiss  
24. お疲れ様 - Exhaustion  
25. 『　　』(フリーテーマ) - (FREE THEME)

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A/N:** NxN 25 Titles from Japanese fan sites (erm…I can only do rough translations of Japanese cuz I don't actually know the language that well…so some of these titles actually sound weird cuz I can't think of another way of putting it…anyone who knows Japanese out there please help me out on this one...) NxN in Japanese fan sites actually refers to Neumann x Natarle, i.e. Arnold x Natarle…(it's actually quite funny how the 4 officers in AA add up to MxM + NxN…) 

I know some people would probably not believe this, but NxN is actually a semi-official pairing that was only hinted in the original GS but really existed in the GBA game (go wiki it yourself if you wanna know cuz I can't be bothered to explain…hahaha…) I also remember reading somewhere that Fukuda (the Director of GS/D) said he deliberately put those hints in the anime cuz he was intending to explore their relationship a bit, but was made impossible giving how the GS ended…such a pity…

Anyways, hope you like the fics and please remember to review!!!


	2. 03 Weightless Feeling

**03. Weightless Feeling**

It has been a month since the Archangel was launched into space after the Heliopolis incident, but Natarle still had not quite gotten used to the zero-gravity feeling in space. It was not that she could not adjust to the weightlessness; she had been put into all sorts of training just for the little part she played in the G-Project. It was more of that she disliked the feeling that she could not keep her two feet on the ground. It made her feel insecure, like she did not have total control over her own self. And she hated it when she was not in control. She hated it when she felt so insecure.

With a report in her hands, Natarle wasted no time and kept herself busy reading into the papers as she headed down the corridors. Ever since Kira brought the Songstress of the PLANTs, Lacus Clyne on board, things only got busier. Natarle sighed as she gave a thought on their current situation. They were alone in space away from their fleet, as well as being sought after by ZAFT; their attempt to get help from the supposed allies in Artemis ended up with them being held hostage in the fortress which it was in the end blown up; they had just managed to sort out their water supplies, but at the same time were faced with the problem of what to do with the daughter of the Chairman of the PLANTs. _'Could things get any more complicated and worse?'_ Natarle could not help but give the current situation a rather depressing thought.

As Natarle got to the junction of the corridors, Kira suddenly came rushing past her from around the other corner, with Miri following behind and almost colliding into her if she had not dodged in time. "Where do you two think you're going?" Natarle demanded.

Kira and Miri immediately flinched at Natarle's voice as they turned around to face her. "I'm sorry, Ensign! But have you seen Haro passing by?" Kira asked uneasily.

"Haro?" Natarle responded with a perplexed look.

"Yeah, you know that pink round robot that belongs to Miss Lacus? It's sort of…erm…fled the room when I went in to bring food to Miss Lacus, and we're trying to get it back to her."

'_Great. Now we've got a pink robot on the run,'_ the disappointing thought crept up to Natarle's mind as she replied the boy, "No, I haven't seen it. It's fine if you're just trying to get that thing back to her, but please try not to cause too much havoc."

"No problem! Thanks!!!" Kira gleefully assured her as he and Miri fled the scene.

Seeing the two teenagers hurrying off, Natarle turned her attention back to the reports in her hands as she headed down the same way. As she was approaching her room, she heard a voice shout out to her.

"Ensign Badgiruel, watch out!!!"

The moment Natarle raised her head up to respond to the call, she immediately sensed that she was in grave danger: Haro was approaching at an immense speed which if she did not avoid it in time she would definitely be hit _hard_ in the face. Natarle by instinct quickly pulled back a bit, but at the same time lost her balance in the weightlessness of the space and floated upwards into the mid-air.

Just as Haro was about to hit her, a hand shot out from behind her and stopped the pink robot from its tracks, while another hand caught her by her shoulder and brought her back onto the floor. "Are you alright, Ensign?" Natarle heard a familiar voice ask from behind her.

"Officer Neumann!!!" Miri cried out as she and Kira went up to the two adults.

"Haro!!!" The robot cried out and flapped its ears as Arnold handed it back to Kira. "You gotta be careful with this thing, you know."

Natarle looked over to Arnold while he interacted with the two teenagers. He looked so calm and collected, as he always did. It made Natarle wonder in appreciation how he always seemed to do things in such an effortless manner. He was to her a reliable subordinate who was always there to help her when she needed the assistance, and it made her feel so much more secure and confident when he was by her side. She was definitely thankful for his continuous support.

After Kira and Miri thanked them two and went away to return Haro to its owner, Arnold turned over to look at Natarle. Suddenly he realized that his hand was still on Natarle's shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry, Ensign," he said as he pulled his hand away.

"That's alright," Natarle replied with a small smile and slightly flushed cheeks. "Em…thanks."

Arnold beamed at Natarle's reaction. It was not often that Natarle showed the more emotional side of her, and Arnold was obviously pleased with the sight. "You're welcome, Ensign."

Arnold then escorted Natarle back to her room, which on the way Natarle recalled the sensation of Arnold's strong hand on her shoulders; and her heart instantly skipped a beat. She then gave her current situation a second thought. _'Maybe it is not that bad to be in space after all. At least he will be here.'_

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**A/N:** Hehehe…the first of the NxN 25 Titles!!! (throws confetti around and seriously considers opening up a bottle of champagne) This one is a bit Natarle one-sided though…but I can assure you Arnold was very happy after the event. Hahaha!!! Anyways, please review!!!


	3. 13 Breaking the Rules

**13. Breaking the Rules**

"What are they doing?" Arnold was puzzled by the scene he was seeing as he walked into the mess hall.

"Well, from what I can see, they're having an arm wrestling competition." Mwu casually answered the Ensign as he stopped next to him near the entrance of the mess hall.

Arnold sighed as Mwu stated the _very_ obvious. Yes he could see that; he wasn't blind. "I meant, _why_ are they doing that?" It was a very unusual sight with a crowd of people surrounding the table where the Captain of the Archangel sat, competing with those who sat down in front of her in arm wrestling.

"Oh, apparently the Captain has decided that whoever can win over her in the arm wrestling competition can skip their duties and take a rest for 3 days."

"What?! Then who will cover for them?" Arnold complained as he looked over the crowd. With the limited crew they had on board, even if only a handful of people won they would still have quite a burden to share.

"Erm, I don't really think we have to start considering that problem yet." Mwu smirked as he pointed over to Murrue's direction. "Our Captain has still not faced a component strong enough to even slightly threaten her yet."

Arnold sighed again. Although he has been on the Archangel for quite a while already, plus the fact that he was one of the people who worked most closely with the Captain and the Commander, he still felt that he could not quite get into their minds. Every now and then the two of them would come up with some weird ideas of getting the crew to 'relax', which he appreciated their concern for the crew's 'mental health', but to be honest, those two were never the ones who had to deal with the aftermath.

_Swish._ The sound of the automatic door sliding open was heard and Arnold and Mwu both looked over to see that it was Natarle who came in.

"So this is where everyone went." Natarle stated as she glanced around the hall.

Murrue back at her seat also noticed the arrival of her subordinate and quickly waved her hand in the air to catch her attention. "Natarle!!! Over here!!!"

Arnold looked on as Natarle walked over to the table where Murrue sat as her latest opponent, Tonomura got up and walked away sulking. He saw Murrue say something to Natarle, which the Lieutenant then sat down in the 'challenger's seat' and prepared herself for the competition. The crowd around the table gasped in surprise as they all could not believe their eyes; the no-nonsense Vice-captain of the ship so easily accepted an arm wrestling challenge from her superior?!!!

Arnold was also a bit surprised. He knew Natarle was a rather indomitable person who hated losing to others, but he also knew that it was very difficult to get her taking on challenges unless she really felt that there was some worth in it. But then the person challenging her was the _Captain_ of the ship.

"Ah ha…A showdown between the top 2 of the Archangel. How exciting is that?" Mwu cheerily commented with an attitude that totally contrasted what his statement suggested. "Who do you think will win?"

"Definitely Lieutenant Badgiruel." Arnold replied the Commander with absolute confidence in his voice.

"How can you be so sure? The Captain hasn't lost to anyone so far." Mwu questioned Arnold; he was sure that Murrue was so far one of the strongest women he has met.

"I attended the same military academy as the Captain and the Lieutenant. Somehow the people there had a particular liking for arm wrestling and had competitions very often, and Lieutenant Badgiruel never lost to anyone. If I remember correctly, out of the 17 matches between the Captain and her, they tied in 16 matches and Lieutenant Badgiruel won the last one." Arnold explained the history between his two superiors to Mwu with a rare grin on his face, being obviously supportive of Natarle.

"Oh. Well you never know. Maybe this is the time when Captain Ramius decides to even the score." Mwu gave Arnold an assured look before the two shifted the attention back to the competition.

The crowd was now divided into two groups, one side supporting the Captain while the other cheered for the Lieutenant. It seemed like Natarle had the upper hand, but from the look on Murrue's face one could tell that she was not about to give up yet. After a few minutes of wrestling, Arnold was sure that Natarle was ready to finish it off. But to his surprise, with a 'thump' sound Murrue pinned Natarle's arm onto the dinning table and shouted victory in delight. Her supporting group cheered for her as well while those on Natarle's side groaned in disbelief.

Arnold stood on his spot and his eyes widened in shock.

"Hehehe…I told you so," Mwu smirked, which Arnold responded with a glare.

Murrue held up her two fingers in a victory sign towards Natarle. Natarle simply smiled back as she got up from her seat, and then she walked over to Arnold and Mwu near the door.

"Ensign." Natarle greeted Arnold with a nod of the head before she turned over to Mwu and spoke in a stern tone, "Commander, please don't forget the deal that you made with me."

"Ha…ha ha… of course I won't!" Mwu reassured Natarle before she left the mess hall. As Arnold watched the Lieutenant leave, he noticed the small smile Natarle had on her face when she left. He then turned to Mwu with a very suspicious look on his face.

"What did you do to the Lieutenant? What was the deal about?" Arnold demanded with a fiercely annoyed look.

"Eh…hehe…what do you mean?" Mwu sheepishly asked as he looked away, trying to avoid the subject.

"The Lieutenant is definitely not the type who would walk away with a smiley face after losing a competition. _What. Did. You. Do_?"

"Ok, ok!!! Chill!!! I, erm…I just offered to give her one week's portion of my share of desserts from our meals if…she, um…didn't make use of her 'full potential' in the competition…"

"You mean the Lieutenant knew about the competition beforehand, and you bribed her with desserts?!!!!!!!!!! That was NOT a fair match!!!"

"Well, she didn't really have anything to lose anyway." Mwu shrugged and answered Arnold as if it was nothing.

'_Uh, yes she does!!! Her reputation???'_ Arnold mentally cursed Mwu as he shot the Commander a death glare and walked away. _'How did he know about Natarle's weak spot anyway?'_

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Congratulations on your victory, Captain."

Murrue, standing outside in the observation deck, turned around to look at Mwu as he walked over to her with a smirk on his face. Murrue then innocently asked, "Which one are you referring to, Commander? The one with Natarle, or the one between you and me?"

"Haha…In this case, I guess both." Mwu then let out a deep sigh of defeat. "But then, who would have believed it when you said that the Lieutenant has an obsession for sweet things?"

"Well, too bad then. Now you have to give up one week's portion of desserts to her." Murrue playfully mocked the Hawk of Endymion and added, "I told you she would do just about anything for a _whole week's_ extra share of desserts."

"I guess I'll have to share yours then, Captain." Mwu let out a sly grin as retribution to Murrue's teasing. As soon as Murrue digested his words she went all red and quickly walked away from him, turning back to shout a "No way!" before she exited the observation deck.

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**A/N:** Hahahahaha…That was fun!!! Ok I wasn't the one who made up the bit where Natarle's got a sweet tooth. It's totally Japanese fan made. And this setting is SO widely accepted among Natarle fans in Japan that I would say it's almost official. But don't you think it's cute??? Hahahaha…AND THE MAIN POINT IS: Natarle **cheated **in the match just to get her desserts, i.e. she broke the rules (hence the title)!!! A bit OOC, but it was fun!!! Anyways, I want reviews! I want reviews! I want reviews! XD

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Hehehe…some extras, just for fun…:

**Three days later:**

As Tolle was about to enter the bridge, the door automatically opened with Natarle Badgiruel standing in front of him.

The startled Tolle quickly saluted to Natarle and greeted her, "Good afternoon, Lieutenant Badgiruel!"

Surprisingly, Natarle responded with a bright smile on her face. "Good afternoon, Private Koenig."

The astounded boy watched his superior leave the bridge as he walked over and took his seat next to the pilot of the ship – Arnold Neumann. "Did you notice that the Lieutenant seems to be in a really good mood these few days?"

"Yeah, I realised." Arnold grumpily replied, which after that he glared over to Commander, who was at the moment merrily talking to Captain Ramius. "I wonder why."


	4. 01 Awkward Love

**01. Awkward Love**

Arnold Neumann knew about Natarle Badgiruel ever since joining the military academy.

Even before she was officially enrolled into the academy there were already rumors spreading around about the daughter of the famous Badgiruel family joining the military.

Ever since the day she set her foot into the academy, wherever she went there were people staring at her, admiring her presence. She carried the gracefulness as young ladies with prominent backgrounds did, but she also possessed an aura that gave those around her a feeling of her strength and determination.

She never let down those who had high hopes in her; she was always at the top of her class in training.

Arnold was one of those people whose eyes followed Natarle wherever she went. He found her mesmerizing; her looks, how she walked, the way she spoke, her pride, and everything else. Maybe that was the difference between the affluent and the ordinary.

His friends always laughed at him. "You're staring at her again? She'll never notice you. Even if she does, what more can you do? She's the Ice Queen, kid; the unreachable flower on the top of the cliff."

Arnold never really had any hopes of establishing any sort of relationship with her. As his friends said, she was untouchable; only to be admired from afar.

It was until one day when Natarle initiatively walked up to Arnold that made him realize something he was never aware of. He would always remember vividly how Natarle shyly handed him back the notebook that he misplaced, and the way she stammered as she tried to convince him that she never read what was written inside. As he amused himself with the scene, wishing that he would always be by her side to see behind her cold veneer, he finally realized that he had already fallen hopelessly in love with her.

Ever since that day, Arnold promised himself that wherever Fate will bring him, he will still do whatever he can do protect her. And he was glad that he got assigned to the G-Project as her subordinate. Now he could be by her side without revealing his inner feelings.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The first time Natarle Badgiruel met Arnold Neumann was in the military academy.

He was the same age as she was, and he also enrolled into the academy the same time she did.

Despite his cool exterior, he was a popular person. People loved to hang out with him, and he was always surrounded by a crowd of friends wherever he went.

He had also had good grades, always taking up the second place below her in training. In fact, he was even the only one who could beat her in shooting. And that was what caught her attention.

Natarle seldom took notice of people who did not interest her. After all, there were always those people who approached her just to take advantage of her privileged background. But she did pay attention to Arnold.

Her few closest friends noticed that as well, and they sometimes even made fun of her. "Is our little princess of the Badgiruels falling for the unbeatable marksman Mr. Neumann?"

No, Natarle told them. She only saw Arnold as a rival, as competition, something that she had not faced for a long time. And for that Natarle never let her eyes off Arnold.

As one of the most elite graduates, Natarle was immediately sent on a mission after leaving the academy, and with her good performances she moved up the ranks rather quickly. She never thought she would be able to meet with Arnold Neumann again, until she was assigned to the G-Project. It was Arnold who came to her rescue after the bombing of where the Archangel was docked in Heliopolis. Natarle never really took a liking in fairy tales, but at that moment she understood precisely what people meant by 'a knight in shining armor', because that was exactly what Arnold seemed to her. And it was also at that moment she became aware of her true feelings towards Arnold since the days in the academy; it was not only rivalry, but it was also admiration, gratitude, and love.

That was when Natarle finally realized how much she needed the support of Arnold, how much she needed to be in his presence. But then, being conscious of her true feelings made her uneasy; how was she going to face him now?

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Today the mess hall in the Archangel was very crowded, as usual. It was now the place where not only the crew had their meals, but also where the refugees Kira brought on board hung around.

Most of the seats were occupied; luckily for Murrue she spotted two vacant seats. Signaling Natarle to follow her lead, she walked over to a dinning table at the far end of the hall. Murrue took the seat beside Commander Fllaga, leaving the other free seat next to Arnold for Natarle. Arnold nervously gave a shrug and a welcoming smile; and Natarle hesitated before sitting down next to him.

'_What do I do now?'_

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**A/N:** Wow this title was a hard one to write!!! Phew…I initially intended it to be a bit fluffier, but somehow it just didn't turn out that way…I also wanted to do it in another format, but since FF doesn't support that format then too bad. Anyways, reviews, please? Comments? Criticisms? Love the pairing? Hate it? (not that I care if you hate it though. XD) I still haven't got any responses…**at all**. Sad.

By the way, it's Arnold's birthday on the 9th of June, so do expect a birthday fic for him to come up soon…I'm actually already working on it.


	5. 23 Kiss

**23. Kiss**

"Ensign Neumann!"

Arnold would have recognized the voice anywhere, anytime. He turned around to see his superior, Natarle Badgiruel walking up to him. "Lieutenant?"

Natarle nervously screened the corridor to make sure there was nobody else around. She then looked into Arnold's intense emerald eyes, and her face flushed in a deep shade of red. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out. She shyly looked to the floor while struggling how to get the words she wanted to say out of her mouth.

Confused, Arnold softly asked with concern, "Is there something wrong?"

When Natarle finally worked up the nerve, the first word that shot out from her mouth was the Ensign's first name, "A-Arnold."

Arnold was totally surprised by Natarle; she would never call him by his first name in public. He gave a delightful smile and asked, "Yes, Natarle?"

"…Happy Birthday."

Arnold stood on his spot with a blank mind. _'What's today's date again? June…Uh?!…It's the 9__th__ of June!'_ Things had been so busy on the Archangel recently that time just passed so quickly without one even realizing it. If it was not for Natarle, Arnold would have totally forgotten his own birthday.

"Thank you, Natarle." Although Arnold looked as calm as he ever was, he was actually thrilled inside; even he had forgotten his own birthday, but Natarle remembered. And that was more that enough.

"…I'm sorry I don't have any presents for you…given our current situation." Natarle stammered as she explained to Arnold, "Once we land I promise I'll get you someth-"

Before Natarle could finish, Arnold interrupted with a 'hush' sound and placed his index finger on her lips with a gentle and understanding smile on his face. He then slid his hand behind Natarle's neck and brought her face close to his as he wrapped his other arm around her waist. Before Natarle could further react Arnold had already dipped down and planted a kiss on her lips.

Startled at first and not knowing how to respond, Natarle just stood there in Arnold's arms. Her initial thought was to push away from his sudden move, but to her surprise her own body reacted in a totally contrasting way; she returned the kiss that started off as a soft one but which intensified as each second passed. She clutched onto Arnold's uniform jacket with both of her hands and slightly leaned on him for support as he fervently drained her energy out of her through their locked lips. Natarle knew it was entirely inappropriate to be sharing such a passionate kiss with her subordinate in the middle of the corridor, but the sensation was just so warm and heart-melting that Natarle could not pull herself away from him.

When the two finally broke apart at the end of the kiss, Arnold let go of his tight grasp of Natarle, who was all flushed up and panting heavily. He gently caressed her cheeks and looked into Natarle's amethyst eyes.

"It's alright, I think I've got the birthday present I wanted already."

If Natarle's face could go any redder that it already was, then that was exactly how she would have looked now. She timidly gave a slight nod of the head, which made Arnold chuckle.

"I'm hungry. Should we go get something to eat?" Arnold casually asked, and Natarle responded quietly with another nod. Arnold then held Natarle's hand in his own, leading her down the corridor towards the mess hall. Despite the war and all that was happening, this was definitely the best birthday he has ever had.

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**A/N:** HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ARNOLD NEUMANN!!!!!!!!!!! 

Yes, our favorite pilot of the AA's birthday is on the 9th of June, so mark your calendars!!! I know this is a very, very short fic. But there's a lot of sweetness in it to make up for the shortness!!! (don't know if it's sweet enough for your taste though...XD) And I've got an exceptionally long extras starring Tolle x Miri!!! Hahaha!!! Enjoy!!!

p.s. I really have to thank **00idiot **and **LokiLeysmith** for their reviews!!! And I also wanna take this chance to thank **CrimsonHowls**, **Smokey-eyed-Beauty** and **HeavyarmsBuster-01** for their reviews for my other two one-shots cuz I never really thanked them before...reviews give me so much motivation…you guys are the best!!! and **Picup**, if you are by any chance reading this, I can tell you I am VERY looking forward to your next NxN!!! XD

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Extras!!!: 

Arnold and Natarle were sitting at a table with drinks in their hands when Miri and Tolle came in to the mess hall. Seeing her two superiors, Miri quickly ran up to where they sat.

"Happy Birthday, Ensign Neumann!!!" Miri cheerily congratulated the pilot as Tolle came up behind her.

"Thank you, Miri." Arnold returned the girl with a gratifying smile.

"Eh? Is it Ensign's birthday today?" Tolle asked in surprise. They knew little about the backgrounds of the officers on board Archangel, let alone their birthdays.

"Yes, it is." Arnold answered; and it suddenly clicked. He turned back to Miri and asked, "How did you know it's my birthday today?"

Miri froze for a second before she quickly explained with a stutter, "Erm, remember last time when we were reading about horoscopes? You told us your birthday then…"

Arnold looked at her with doubt, "Did I?"

"Haha…of course you did!" Miri immediately confirmed as she pulled Tolle with her, "We'd better get going!! Have a nice day, Ensign, Lieutenant!"

As Tolle and Miri went to get their drinks, Tolle whispered to his girlfriend, "I remember Ensign Neumann being there when we were reading about the horoscopes last time, but did we ask for his birth date?" He was clearly unconvinced by her explanation.

"Erm…" Miri hesitated. "Did we not?"

"Miriiiii…Are you hiding something from me?" Tolle suspiciously asked.

Miri gave Tolle an uneasy smile. "No, of course not!"

'_If I ever told him what I saw, he would definitely spread the news around. And I'd be in deep, deep trouble.' _Miri quietly swore to herself that she would never tell anyone what she saw in the corridor earlier that day.


	6. 04 A Sigh

**4. A Sigh**

Anyone who walked in to the CIC at this point could tell you that this very small area in the bridge was but filled with tension.

And all of this tension came from one single woman – the Archangel's own CIC commander.

Throughout her shift, Natarle kept letting out sighs of frustration, and sometimes even of anger. Her mood had been not so well already in the past few days, but somehow things were particularly wrong for her today.

Now why was Natarle in a bad mood? Here is the story:-

Officer Isabella Morris was desperately looking for a nice, good looking, and successful boyfriend to ease her boredom on the warship. But just as the amount personnel on board was limited, so were her choices. She had first targeted two promising officers, namely Commander Mwu La Fllaga and Ensign Arnold Neumann. But ever since the Hawk of Endymion decided to openly flirt with the Captain, to Natarle's disappointment Isabella had shifted her attention entirely onto the Helmsman of the ship.

Arnold did turn her down quite a few times in his usual, cool demeanor, but this was probably also why Isabella did not take him seriously and continued in her pursuance; she assumed he was just playing hard to get. However, what frustrated Natarle most was her own determination in not letting her relationship with the Ensign known, and the fact that Arnold had agreed to her request, which was why all she could do was stand there and glare while Isabella threw herself at Arnold earlier in the day.

And that was what brought trouble to the crew in the bridge.

It felt like eternity for the crew until Natarle finally left the bridge after her shift. But unluckily for Jackie Tonomura, not only that his shift ended the same time as the Lieutenant's, but she was also heading the same way down to the mess hall as he was now, which meant that he had to suffer for another while. He tried telling his superior some jokes as they walked along to lighten up her mood, but it was not of much help. To his dismay, Jackie thought he might even have worsened the situation.

Inside the mess hall, Arnold was having lunch by himself, or at least that was what he had originally planned, because Isabella had just managed to spot his presence and instantly sat down next to him.

Her next action was absolutely predictable, but very, very wrong in every single aspect – she threw her arms around Arnold and gave him a hug while calling him by his pet name, "Arnie!!!"

And Natarle walked in just in time to see the happening of it.

With his back facing the door to the mess hall, Arnold did not seem to notice Natarle's arrival. But Natarle in turn paid attention to every single detail of his reaction; he gave the girl an indifferent look and turned back to his tray of food, but did not bother to do anything else to reject her.

Anger started to build up even more in Natarle. With clutched fists and a furiously annoyed look, Natarle tried her best to pretend that she did not see anything and walked up to the counter to get her lunch tray. Not noticing where Natarle's glare was aimed at, Jackie had absolutely no clue of why she was so angry, but he decided that it was not a good idea to abandon his superior at this moment, so he scurried along behind her.

Jackie's way of thinking was proved correct when Natarle, distracted by her own fury, accidentally knocked over a cup of boiling hot water and spilt it on her own hand.

"Lieutenant!!!" Jackie frantically cried out as Natarle winced in pain. "A-are you okay?!"

Natarle puzzled over why Jackie was even more concerned than herself as she answered the officer, "I'm alright, Tonomura. Calm down."

"Are you sure? Should I go get the first aid kit?"

"I really am alright, Tonomura." Natarle attempted to ignore the pain as she firmly replied her worried subordinate, trying not to make a scene. But at the moment she finished her words, she was grabbed by the wrist of her injured hand.

"Your hand is all red from the burn. How are you supposed to be alright?" It was Arnold, whose attention was caught the moment Jackie dramatically cried out in concern when Natarle accidentally hurt herself.

"I said I'm alright. It's none of your business." Natarle tried to pull her hand away from Arnold, but his grasp was unexpectedly firm.

"You can't just leave a burn like that. It'll turn really ugly. Come with me." Arnold started to lead Natarle away from where she was standing, but instead of following, Natarle stubbornly resisted and tried to free herself from Arnold's clasp.

"L-let go of me!!!" Natarle wriggled her hand angrily, which Arnold could only respond with an even tighter grip.

"The burn needs to be taken care of."

"Just let go!!!"

Realizing with Natarle struggling so fiercely he was practically getting nowhere, Arnold turned around to face Natarle; he first slipped one hand behind her back, then his other hand let go of his tight grasp of Natarle and brought it down to her legs, quickly sweeping Natarle into his two arms.

An astonished squeal was heard throughout the mess hall, which was immediately followed by a deafening but nervously made demand. "E-ensign Neumann!!! P-p-put me down…This instant!!!"

With Natarle virtually yelling into his ears, Arnold still paid no attention to his superior. Irritated by the Ensign's irresponsiveness, Natarle then repeated her demand in a more authoritative tone. "Ensign!!! Let me down! This is an order!!!"

Arnold's reply was a swift one but in an uncaring tone. "Sorry, Lieutenant. I only listen to orders when I'm on duty."

Hearing these words, Natarle's face was now all red, not only due to her anger, but clearly also because of the embarrassment - or in her own perspective, the ultimate humiliation. "Neumann!!!!!!!!!!!!"

As most of the male crew stared with amazement of how Arnold Neumann, now walking out of the mess hall with Natarle in his arms, accomplished in the taming of the CIC Commander, the female crew looked at Arnold with eyes sparkling of admiration mixed with a bit of envy towards the Lieutenant.

At that moment Isabella, who was watching all along, understood that she needed to find herself another target, again.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After bringing Natarle back to her room, with much effort Arnold managed to hold her injured hand under cold running water to cool down the burn a bit; Natarle, although did not struggle too much, was still not too enthusiastic about Arnold's help.

Arnold then sat her down on her bed and started bandaging her hand. He had sensed that there was something wrong with Natarle all the while, but he could not recall himself doing anything that triggered her wrath. "Why are you angry?"

"I'm not angry." Natarle hissed, but the tone she spoke in and the look on her face made her words far less than convincing.

With Arnold's understanding of Natarle, he believed that she would never tell the truth unless he pushed on further. "Then why are you in this mood?"

"What mood?!" Natarle shot back at him with a glare.

Arnold let out a sigh as he started to get worried. Natarle was not telling him what was wrong, so he can now confirm himself that he must be one of the reasons of her current bad temper. _'Can someone please tell me what I've done wrong here?'_

Picking up his courage, Arnold gave a small pause and asked, "Was it something I've done?"

"Why would I be angry with _you_ if it was Officer Morris who threw herself into your arms?!!!"

Arnold blinked a few times as he tried to make sense of Natarle's words. Then it clicked. In astonishment, he let out a small gasp and asked, "Natarle, are you jealous?"

Natarle now realized what she had just said in the spur of her anger. "Huh? W-wha…N-no I j-j-just…H-how…_W-why would I be jealous?!!!_" Natarle pathetically stumbled over her words as she desperately tried to find the right thing to say in order to hide her embarrassment.

Arnold widened his eyes in surprise as he confirmed his speculation; he never thought that Natarle, who seldom showed her emotions, was capable of being _jealous_. "You _know_ that I don't have any feelings for her, don't you?"

"Like I care." Natarle gave a very slight pout and pretended as if she really did not mind.

Seeing her respond in such an amusing way, Arnold impulsively pulled Natarle into his arms for a cuddle, which Natarle first resisted by hitting him a few times on his chest, but gave up when his arms were secured around her. "Natarle, you are so adorable."

Natarle flushed as she heard these words. Burying her face into Arnold's shoulder, she murmured, "J-jerk."

Arnold chuckled slightly when he heard her comment. He slightly pulled apart from the embrace and lowered his head until his lips met with Natarle's, and the two shared a warm kiss as reconciliation. Although the kiss was already more that what she had hoped for after the misunderstanding, Natarle was a bit disappointed when Arnold softly broke apart from their kiss, but to her surprise he was only taking a small break before he hungrily plunged for her lips again; she probably had no idea how ecstatic Arnold was when he knew that she was jealous over someone because of him.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The crew on duty in the bridge later that day was surprised to see the obvious difference in Natarle's mood when she came in for her second shift, especially given how she 'left' the mess hall during lunch break.

It even surprised Miri, who had just walked in to report to Natarle for her shift, that the Lieutenant responded her with a soft smile. She even wondered as she turned around if it was her own delusion when she, for the first time since joining the Archangel, heard the Lieutenant let out a short but rather sweet sounding sigh.

* * *

**A/N:** Omg this fic is super long. Longest one I've ever done so far. I definitely didn't plan for it to be this lengthy, but…oh well. And yes, Natarle is a fairly naïve little girl. How adorable. Awww…Also, I think this fic actually fits title more, but I just found it really hard to write something for this title, plus I've sorta planned something else for the other one, so I wrote this with it opening and ending with Natarle's sighs. By the way, the character Isabella Morris is totally made up. If anyone out there by any chance bears the same name, my apologies. I could change it if any one feels offended.

Also, thanks to **CrimsonHowls** for your review :)

Oh and here's a really stupid extra to follow…I dunno why I had this idea at all with Murrue being obsessive with fairy tales. I admit I made this up just for fun, but somehow it just feels right. XD!!!

* * *

"So Neumann walked out of the mess hall with Natarle in his two arms?!" Murrue squealed like a teenage girl after hearing Mwu's recount on the incident earlier.

Mwu gave a shrug and chuckled, "Yeah, quite a scene, isn't it?"

Murrue wailed again like a little child, "I'd soooooo give anything just to see that happen…Neumann as the 'knight in a shining armor' to rescue our little princess Natarle."

Mwu laughed heartily at Murrue's description of the two officers as he wondered for a moment if Murrue had been reading a bit too many fairy tales when she was growing up, because in his opinion Natarle in no way fitted into his impression of the usually weak and helpless princesses, but he played along anyway just for fun, "Well, shouldn't Arnold be Prince Charming then, like it normally is in the fairy tales?"

Murrue thought for a bit, then replied, "Nah, he doesn't really fit into the Prince Charming look…you know, tall, blonde hair, blue eyes…Hey! Wait a minute! You'd look perfect as the prince!!!"

Hearing this, Mwu grinned slyly, "Then wouldn't that make you my princess?"

Murrue giggled as she waved her hand in disregard. "No, that's flattering, thanks, but as I said, Natarle's the princess here. Therefore, for this little role-play here," Murrue then gave a pat on her chest and proudly announced, "I shall be the evil step-mother!!!"

For a split second the two were quiet, and after that they immediately burst into laughter.

(I'll leave the rest of the 'fairy tale' to your imagination.)


	7. 17 Jealousy

**17. Jealousy**

Jackie Tonomura was a jealous man. He knew very well that Envy was a cardinal sin, but he just could not help it.

He was jealous of how his comrade, helmsman of the warship Archangel, had won the love of the Vice-captain of the same ship, the woman he once questioned if she had any compassion at all.

Up till now he still did not understand why he was attracted to the woman. Maybe it was her beauty that caught his attention, or maybe it was her prudence that impressed him. Maybe it was her determinedness that won his admiration, or maybe it was her occasional display of bashfulness that interested him. Or maybe, it was simply because of the fact that it was someone else who had won the heart of the Ice Queen instead of him. And that person was Arnold Neumann.

Life was unfair in Jackie's eyes. Arnold was a rather reserved person, and he seldom talked unless there was a need to. But his cool exterior did not stop him from being popular, because he was at the same time polite, helpful, and not to mention quite good looking. He was often surrounded by some of the female crew on board, and the fact that the greatly admired Hawk of Endymion had already openly 'declared' his love for the Captain did not help either; it only made Arnold more popular. Even Jackie himself had to admit that he liked Arnold as a friend a lot, all except for one thing - he had so many choices, but he just had to go for that woman whom Jackie's own eyes were set on.

Yes, Jackie's eyes were always on her. And he noticed how different a person she was when being near Arnold. She always gave others a stern look, however her gaze would soften when her eyes were on Arnold. Her cold voice was unchanging to whomever she was speaking to, yet he heard her stutter in nervousness a few times when she was talking to Arnold. She kept her poise in front of other people, but whenever Arnold was next to her she would shudder slightly and lower her head in shyness. And Jackie longed for the woman he admired to show himself this side of her.

Jackie Tonomura knew clearly he was jealous. But he also knew that this was all he could be, because Natarle Badgiruel's heart already belonged to someone else; someone who loved her so much that he would never let anyone else a chance to claim her.

* * *

**A/N:** I originally wanted to write a fic of either Arnold or Natarle being jealous like how it is in the extras below…But **1)** I realized that it was going to end up as a very short fic cuz there was not much to write. (but this fic turned out quite short as well. Gah, whatever.); **2)** title 4.A Sigh was already about Natarle being jealous, plus title 20.Monopolistic Desire is pretty similar…so yeah, there you go. 

Anyways, the idea of Tonomura having a crush on Natarle is once again, totally influenced by Japanese fan sites. It's their fault, don't blame me! (And i did sort of drop a hint of Tonomura's crush in the last fic...see if you can spot it! XD) One thing though, I think Tonomura having a crush on Natarle is cute, but I cannot, I repeat, CANNOT accept TonomuraxNatarle.

**IMPORTANT** (sort of): I'm running out of ideas of what to write next...Any suggestions? Any specific titles or themes you want me to try next? One thing though, I'm saving titles 24&25 for last, so feel free to suggest anything else. I can't promise I'll be able to write what you ask for, but suggestions will definitely get my brain cells moving, and keep me from hibernating in the summer.

* * *

The timeslot for this extra is when Natarle and Tonomura went out for the shopping trip in Banadiya: 

"Good morning Ensign Neumann!!" Tolle save his superior a shout as they crossed each other in the mess hall.

Arnold simply gave the enthusiastic boy a slight nod and walked away.

Tolle was puzzled; Arnold was cool, but never **cold**.

"Eh…" Tolle turned to his girlfriend Miri, "Why is he in this weird mood?"

Miri looked back to Tolle in surprise. "Have you not heard? Tonomura got to go on the shopping trip with Lieutenant Badgiruel today!"

"So?"

"Tolle…" Miri let out a sigh. "Can't you tell? Ensign Neumann is jealous."


	8. 05 Habit

**5. Habit**

The thunderstorm was here.

Arnold leaned back onto the sofa and looked out to the darkness outside the window as he listened to the soft growls of the black sky. He then turned back and continued to work on his laptop sitting on the coffee table in front of him.

On the other end of the sofa was Natarle, curled up with a book in her hands.

A bright flash struck across the sky, and it startled Natarle. She instinctively shot a glance out the window with wide eyes, and her sudden movement caught Arnold's attention. Arnold watched as she slowly turned back to her book. For a second it looked like she was again focused on the book, but he could tell that it was just her pretence; her whole body was shivering with fear.

"Natarle, are you alright?"

The only response Arnold got was a small nod; she did not even look at his direction. Arnold knew clearly that she was not alright as she tried to pretend she was.

"Natarle, come here." Arnold reached out his hand and gently pulled Natarle into his embrace. The moment his arms were wrapped around her a deafening roar was heard from outside, and Natarle let out a pathetic whimper as she covered her ears with her two hands.

"Shh…shh…It's alright…I'm here…" Arnold softly stroked her hair as he comforted the woman in his arms. It has become sort of a habit now; every time there was a thunderstorm she would hide within his embrace like a frightened child, and he would provide her with all the protection she needed.

Even now Arnold still remembered the first time he saw Natarle so terrified. He understood that she her emotional wounds may never fully heal like the scars on her body would. He thought she had put the past behind her already, but he had no idea how broken she still was after the war, until that one night so similar to now.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It was just a normal summer night in Orb, save for the approaching thunderstorm.

Arnold and Natarle were enjoying the peaceful evening at home, sitting on the sofa cuddled together and watching TV. Gray clouds gradually covered the sky, and within a few minutes it was already pouring outside. The sky started rumbling, and Natarle's uneasiness was not left unnoticed by Arnold, but when he asked what was wrong Natarle simply shook it off and excused herself, saying that she wanted to get a glass of water from the kitchen.

Arnold let Natarle out of his hold and watched her walk off. He knew something was wrong, but still had no idea what it was. A sudden strike of lightning shifted his attention to the scene outside.

"Gosh, it's gonna be a bad night." Arnold mumbled to himself. He waited for a few seconds, and then came the loud roar of thunder he was expecting; but along with that came a crashing sound from the kitchen. Arnold instantly got up and rushed to the kitchen.

"Natarle!" The first thing that entered his eyes was Natarle slumped to the floor, hiding her head between her hands; on the ground before her were the broken pieces of her glass and splattered water.

Arnold immediately rushed over and knelt down beside her, holding her shoulders with both of his hands. "Natarle, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

It was like she could not hear him, like she blocked off all noises by covering her ears; she was shivering furiously between Arnold's arms, but otherwise she was no different to a lifeless puppet-doll, not being able to respond to him.

"Natarle! What's wrong?! Answer me, please!" Arnold pleaded worriedly, slightly shaking her. He pulled her hands away from her ears and slowly lifted her chin up to take a look at her, and that was when he finally saw the tears running down her cheeks. "W-why are you crying?"

Natarle gripped her hands tightly and held them close to her heart. She laid her head slightly onto Arnold's shoulder as she sobbed uncontrollably. "…It hurts…Arnold…It hurts so much…the wounds…"

Hearing these words spelt heartache for Arnold. He had never once seen her breakdown like this before. He did not know, but he should have, and he cursed his own ignorance. All this time he was living with her he should have realized that coming so close to death after having four bullets put through her would have done a lot more damage than what she had let on. He had never been hit by a gun before, but he definitely knew the sound of a gunshot; it was very much like the sound of thunder. It was all understandable now – every time the thunder struck, Natarle would face her demons from the war once more. Every vivid scene of her own battle on the Dominion would appear before her, and she could even feel the bullet wounds on her body again.

Arnold held Natarle as tightly as he could. If it was possible, he wanted to bear the pain for her; but it was not. All he could do was stay with her, hold her and comfort her throughout every of these miserable nights in the future.

"I'm here now, Natarle. You're not on Dominion; you're not alone anymore. I'll always be here, I promise."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It was part of their habit. Every time a thunderstorm struck, he would hold her in his arms until she fell asleep. It was no different this time.

Arnold put aside his work and brought Natarle upstairs to their bedroom. He was not tired yet; it was still early, but there was no point staying downstairs when both of them would be doing nothing else tonight anyway.

As the two climbed onto the bed, Arnold leaned onto the headboard of the bed and wrapped his arms protectively around Natarle as she laid her head onto his chest and clasped his shirt firmly, snuggling up against him. Knowing that Arnold was there for her soothed her fears without fail every time; the memories of Dominion would slowly fade away during these moments, and she would even forget about what the bullet wounds felt like; it was just like he cast a spell on her.

And she drifted off into a peaceful sleep in his caress, like always.

* * *

**A/N:** Something summery-ish for the summer. Yeah, i meant the thunderstorm, if that makes sense. Oh by the way, that middle section was a flashback, if anyone didn't get it. I just don't like the idea of putting up a 'flashback' heading in the middle of a story.

Since no one responded to my plea for help last time, I certainly took my time at updating. Plus the fact that my stupid summer job is sucking the life out of me. So unless someone really wants me to update again soon, I'm gonna take my time on the next one. Yeah call me lazy, cuz I am. XD See ya laters!!!

Reviews, please???


	9. 07 Gaze

**7. Gaze**

Arnold was surprised to see that his superior, Ensign Natarle Badgiruel was the only person in the observation deck when he entered the area. In fact, he was even more surprised to see her – out of all people – here; the first time ever. Whenever he caught sight of her she was either on a shift or walking around with a pile of documents in her hands. Even during her free time she stayed in her own room, busying herself with work. _'Finally she finds some time to rest,'_ Arnold softly sighed in relief.

He quietly landed himself next to Natarle and gave his greetings. Natarle was slightly astonished to see her subordinate here, but she welcomed him to join her all the same time. "Just got off shift?"

Arnold responded with a nod, and then he let out a light chuckle, "I'm a bit surprised to find you here."

Natarle sighed softly. "I just wanted to take a rest here while watching the stars."

"Please do relax a bit more often; you're working yourself too much."

Natarle was a bit stunned to hear this; she never knew Arnold paid so much attention to her, and she turned to him with an appreciative smile.

Arnold was immediately captured by her amethyst gaze. Ever since the first time they met, every time he looked into those beautiful eyes of hers he would find himself lost within them, as if by simply looking into them this woman had enslaved his heart. He did remind himself it was impolite to stare, but at the same time he found it rather difficult to take his eyes off her, even when she had already looked away from him to the scene outside the window. "…So beautiful," these words softly slipped out of his mouth before he realized it.

Natarle looked to him again when she heard his whisper, this time with a rare but genuine smile, "It is, isn't it. Such a pity we're fighting a war in this beautiful place."

Arnold gave a slightly uneasy smile at Natarle's reply. "I wasn't talking about the scene outside. I was talking about you."

"Huh?" As if Arnold was speaking in riddles, Natarle returned to him a questioning look, urging him to explain his words. Arnold slowly raised his hand to reach for Natarle, and gently caressed her cheek, looking deep into her amethyst eyes, "I love you. I've always loved you, ever since the days in the academy."

It was almost impossible for Natarle to comprehend to Arnold's words, so unexpected to her, and she simply looked back at him, astounded. Then slowly, she lowered her head uneasily and hid her face away from his intense eyes.

Arnold patiently waited for an answer, but all he got back was silence; such an awkward silence that it tore his heart into pieces. And he knew that this was the answer.

He smiled pitifully, half because of regretting that he had placed Natarle in this situation now, the other half for his pathetic self. "I'm sorry. I should have known. We're in war right now, there's no room for this. Please just forget what I've just said."

Natarle slightly shuddered when she heard his apology, but all the while she never looked up at him. Arnold knew his confession must have troubled her deeply; she was someone who put her duties above everything else, no one would have understood this more clearly than him – the one person who knew her since their days in the military academy. He sensed that it was better for him to leave now; it was not really an option anyway, because he already realized that there was no other way out of this situation.

He took one last look at Natarle, and slowly turned around to walk away, but then he felt a small tug on his uniform jacket and that stopped him in his tracks. Puzzled, he turned around to look at Natarle, and he was taken aback by the picture he saw – Natarle had taken a step forward from where she was originally standing to reach out and keep him in his place; her cheeks were all flushed up, and her eyes were slightly brimmed with tears, looking back at him pleadingly like a little lost kitten. "D-don't go…"

"…Ensign?"

"…I…I-I don't…I didn't…think…Y-you…" Unsurprisingly, Natarle was lost for words; Arnold had always known that she was the type who found it difficult to express her true emotions. The more she stuttered, the redder her face became; but her eyes were sincere, and Arnold saw his hope within them. "Yes, Ensign?"

"…I-I really…really like you as well…"

Arnold could not believe his own ears, and for a second he even thought for sure that he was imagining things, but his eyes were telling him a different story; her amethyst gaze assured him that this moment was a dream come true.

Arnold hesitantly reached out and gently palmed her face with his hand like she was a fragile china doll, like this dream was so easily breakable if he made even the tiniest mistake. It was when Natarle shyly smiled back at him, Arnold finally found the courage to wrap his arms tightly around her, and slowly he dipped down, laying a kiss on her lips.

* * *

**A/N: **For those who are totally new to this collection of fics and decided to randomly read this update, you might find it easier to understand if you read Chapter 4: 01 Awkward Love as well. 

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that my writing style for this chapter is a bit weird? I dunno…maybe it's because I've sort of rushed through it so it makes me feel like something is wrong…

So…yeah. Not much else to say. Except for…Reviews please!!! XD


	10. 10 Slight Fever

**10. Slight Fever**

Natarle was a bit surprised to see Arnold already waiting for her in her room when she came out from her shower. She was not expecting him to be off duty so soon, which was why she decided to take a shower just then before his shift ended, hoping not to waste any time that could have been spent with him instead of them each doing their own thing.

The sound of the door to the bathroom opening caught Arnold's attention, and he turned to greet the owner of the room, but the moment he caught sight of Natarle, instead of his usual welcoming gesture of giving her a soft hug he immediately looked away from her.

Puzzled at his unusual behavior, Natarle walked over to Arnold and softly brushed his hair, "Are you okay?"

Arnold froze at Natarle's touch. _'No, not really.'_ Before Arnold spoke out his thoughts he quickly covered his mouth with his hand, mentally cursing himself.

When Arnold failed to respond to her question, Natarle knelt down in front of him and gently placed her hand on his cheek, turning his head around to face her as she asked again with a worried gaze, "Arnold, are you feeling alright?"

Looking at Natarle at such close distance was even worse, and Arnold at once felt his face heat up. Arnold certainly was not the type who would blush easily, but with Natarle as she was now was not an often sight either; he was definitely not used to it, and his face was as red as a chilli pepper now. Natarle's short black hair was still damp from after the shower, a few drops of water trickled down along her neck, and he could still smell the fragrance of her shampoo; her makeup was gone, and she looked a lot younger than she usually did, a very innocent face, in fact; she was wearing the standard t-shirt with a pair of shorts from their uniforms alright, but the shorts she was wearing hardly reached halfway down her thighs and it highlighted how long and slender her legs were; her shirt was also a bit oversized, revealing her collar bone as well as leaving the area above her chest bare, and with her kneeling down in front of him it was difficult to not take a peek at what was underneath the t-shirt that hardly even covered her from the angle he was looking from. It took all that was left of Arnold after a tiring day's work to suppress his urge and not jump onto the woman standing in front of him, nail her to the floor and do whatever the little devil in his mind tempted him to.

Arnold's irresponsiveness worried Natarle, and she also felt the heat on his cheeks. "Arnold, are you ill? Your face is really hot." She got up and sat next to him on her bed, and her hand reached for his forehead, "I think you might have a fever. I should have a thermometer somewhere in my first-aid box," and in a split second she was already at the other side of the room going through the first-aid kit, looking for the little device.

Arnold would normally have cleared things up immediately at a silly misunderstanding like this, but right this moment he was not really thinking straight with the temptress, innocent on her part though, messing up with his senses. Plus, being taken care of by Natarle was not a bad idea at all, even if it meant he would be forced to stay in bed for who-knows-how-long.

After a moment of searching Natarle still could not find the thermometer, and with a small pout she complained, "I should have one somewhere…Where has it gone now?"

Arnold wanted to tell her it was alright, but before he could speak out Natarle was already at the door looking back at him. "I'll go to the sickbay and see if they've got a spare thermometer there."

"…And out she went." Arnold commented as he watched Natarle dash out of the room. He fell flat onto Natarle's bed and grinned to himself at the reminiscence of his luck. He half regretted that he did not take advantage of the situation just now, a rare chance indeed, but he was also quite sure that Natarle would certainly have struggled at his advances. It was a pity really, especially when she looked so…_delicious_; oversized t-shirt, short pants, no makeup, wet hair…All of a sudden Arnold bolted up from the bed – that was exactly how Natarle left the room! Without a second thought Arnold raced out of the room and down the corridors towards the sickbay searching for Natarle.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As clueless as she was, Natarle could not have missed all the attention she was getting from people passing by. It was making her nervous; she was used to people glaring at her when she made orders they did not want to follow, but this was different, and she could not figure out what their gazes meant. Her pace increased as she got closer to the sickbay, hoping to escape this and get back to her room as soon as possible. The moment she got to her destination she quickly rushed into the room and asked for what she wanted.

The doctor turned around when he heard her voice, and he slightly jumped at Natarle's presence. He did not see Natarle often, but from what he had heard the Lieutenant should be somewhat different from the impression she was making right now. Whatever the reason was, it was better to give her what she needed as quickly as possible, just in case he was making the wrong guess at her personality. After a bit of a search he handed Natarle what she came for, and Natarle promptly gave her thanks, turned around and walked out of the door.

The moment Natarle left the room she saw Arnold running down the corridor towards her. "Na- Lieutenant!"

Natarle was totally surprised by Arnold's appearance. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting?"

Arnold uneasily scratched the back of his head and asked, "Can we just head back first?" as he eyed the people around who all stopped in their tracks staring at the two of them.

Natarle frowned in confusion after hearing Arnold's request. "Why is everyone so weird today? Is something wrong?"

'_It's because right now you're tempting every man on the ship to bring you to bed with them'_ were the exact words Arnold wanted to say to her, but definitely not the wisest among the options he had; if he really said that it would have unquestionably earned him a slap across his face. Arnold did not know how to answer her; how was he going to put across to her that he did not like the idea of other men staring at her, especially when she was in this 'vulnerable' state now? Arnold gave it a hard thought, and it took a few seconds before he gave Natarle her answer, but "Because you're not wearing makeup" was obviously not a good choice either; the moment these words left his mouth Natarle's foot landed on his at full speed and max power.

It took a second or two before Arnold could comprehend to Natarle's sudden outburst of anger, but when he understood what went wrong he cursed himself, and winced in pain as he tried to catch up with Natarle who had already sped off in anger. _'"Because you're not dressed properly" might have been a better idea.'_ Yes he had to admit it was a bad choice of words, but who could blame him? Natarle looked so innocent and adorable without makeup on, and the last thing he wanted was more competition from those who were lucky enough to catch sight of her right this moment.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

If it was possible with these sliding doors, Natarle would have slammed the door right into Arnold's face before he could follow her into her room.

"Natarle I can explain!!!" Arnold cursed himself for the forth time, maybe fifth, today. Somehow what he just said sounded a bit like what people would say in movies or drama series when they did something unforgivably wrong. Had the situation gone this bad already?

"Go ahead, you jerk!!!" Okay, he had to admit it was very bad.

Arnold awkwardly looked away from Natarle with a blush and asked, "Natarle, do you realize what you're wearing right now…as well as…how…_nice_…you look without makeup on…" He mumbled a bit over the word 'nice', but at the same time hoped that Natarle would now realize what he was really trying to suggest to her before she took off instead of what she had mistakenly assumed.

Natarle blinked a few times and then took a quick glance at her own clothing, and at once flushed in the deepest shade of red possible. She pulled her shirt a little bit lower down, trying to cover up what her short pants failed to.

Seeing this, Arnold was sure that Natarle was no longer furious with him, so he reached out his hands and pulled her in for a hug, hiding his own red face in her shoulders. "I really don't fancy letting other people see you like this…It feels like I have to…_share_."

Natarle felt her heart beat faster the moment she heard Arnold's confession, and she held on to him tightly, feeling bad for getting mad at him when it was really her own fault in the first place for being so careless and making the situation end up how it was now. She then slowly pulled apart from Arnold, showing him the thermometer in her hand, "Sit down, I'll take your temperature."

Arnold let out a long and exasperated sigh; she still did not understand. "Natarle, there's no point in taking my temperature."

Natarle looked at him with a frown, "Why?"

"Because," Arnold muttered with a devious grin as he pulled her down with himself onto the bed and planted a kiss on her lips, "_you_ are the cause of this 'fever' I'm having."

* * *

**A/N: **I was so tempted to let this chapter go the other way. Kidding. I don't write lemon.

And ooooh, you get to see Natarle go violent…hahaha, joke, joke. It wasn't like she was beating Arnold up anyway…I'll probably do the 'real' violence in another fic. Oh and I have no idea how she ended up running down the hallways without getting changed first. Maybe she's not as smart as everyone thinks. No wait, you didn't hear me say that.

So those who thought this was a stupid chapter, sorry, but this chapter was written solely for my amusement. And yes you can start hunting me down. But please do leave me a review as well so I can die in content. :)


	11. 09 Good Morning

**9. Good Morning**

Arnold woke at the rays of sunlight that shone through beyond the curtains of their bedroom window, and as he opened his eyes, his lips slowly curved into a content smile when he saw his wife still peacefully asleep in his arms. He sluggishly turned his head around to check the clock that sat on top of his bedside table, and the time read ten forty-five. He let out a small tired moan at the lateness of the time, but then remembered that everything was alright since it was their day off today. Slowly turning back towards the woman, he softly brushed away the few strands of her raven locks covering her face while enjoying the serenity of the moment.

It was one of his favorite moments in the mornings, being able to wake up and see her safe and sound in him arms, still within her tranquil slumber, and traces of the war hardly observable on her innocent face as if all of it had never happened. He sometimes even wondered if they had gotten too used to the peacefulness of the current world that they will forget how hard they all had to work for it in the past few years.

A morning breeze through the open window sent the woman into a slight shiver, and instinctively she snuggled up closer to Arnold. He grinned in delight and wrapped his arms around her, his eyes never taken off her all along. It was as if she knew he was staring, she slowly opened her eyes at him.

"Good morning, Natarle." Arnold greeted his wife with a warm smile. Natarle took a few seconds to focus, then let out a small "Umm" sound and fell back into her sleep.

Arnold chuckled softly at Natarle's response, so expected to him already. It really surprised him though when he first found out how lazy she could really be when it came to waking up in the mornings. He always thought she was a disciplined person who would have a set routine for the mornings. Well, he was half correct; she most certainly had no problem waking up on working days, but when it came to her day-offs, she could stay in bed for the whole morning till around lunchtime if he did not drag her out of bed.

"Wake up, sleepy head." Arnold gave Natarle a slight tap on her shoulder, "Don't forget we're having lunch with the Fllagas."

Another soft "Umm" sound was heard, but Natarle did not even budge for the slightest bit. Arnold sighed, "You don't want to be late, do you?"

This time Natarle simply turned her back at Arnold and flipped herself to the other side of the bed while pulling the blanket over her head, an indication of her intention of waking up as being non-existent.

Arnold frowned as Natarle shifted herself away from his embrace, but he was not really going to get her out of bed so soon anyway; every time he saw that innocent face of hers when sleeping he would find it difficult to bring himself to actually wake her up. He slowly climbed out of bed with another sigh; he really was spoiling her a bit too much.

"Natarle, I'm going to go freshen up now. _Please_ be out of bed by the time I come back out."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

When Arnold stepped out of the bathroom door, he groaned quietly at the scene. Natarle was still in bed, her arms wrapped around his pillow and the blanket halfway down her waist. He walked towards their bed and impatiently folded his arms in front of his chest. "Natarle, wake up!"

"Just give me another five minutes please…" She mumbled with her face still in Arnold's pillow.

Arnold rolled his eyes at her plea. Then a rather evil smirk spread across his lips. "If you don't wake up now, I'll have to get you out of bed myself. Are you sure you want me to do that?" As simple as these words were, the tone of his voice suggested that he was obviously hinting something more than what his words implied.

Natarle clearly did not miss the hint; she instantly bolted up and got out of the bed.

Grinning victoriously Arnold landed a small kiss on her temple, and with a soft growl she grudgingly headed towards the bathroom.

* * *

**A/N:** A bit OOC probably. I don't know why…It might be because of the new one-shot I did (called Haunted) that got me a bit too depressed so I ended up wanting to write something to cheer myself up. Or maybe it's just not that OOC at all. Ugh, I'm totally deluded here. 

By the way, "the Fllagas" was as in a family. Sweet.

* * *

**Extra: Natarle's version (?):**

As Natarle fluttered her eyes open, the first thing that entered her view was the image of her husband still soundly asleep. She let out a small yawn and blinked a few times to wake herself up.

Her attention then focused back onto the blunette, and it suddenly occurred to her that she seldom had the chance to look at him in close distance when he was asleep, since he was usually the one who woke up first in the mornings. She steadily leaned nearer towards him, and curiously she observed every single detail of his face. She had always wondered why people called him a 'baby face', but now come to take a close look at him, he did have a rather childish face for his age, and with very soft and smooth skin to complement with it. She also for the first time noticed he had rather long eyelashes as well. Such a lucky person, she secretly envied him now; how many women would have paid all they had to achieve what he was naturally born with, and that he still have, without making the tiniest effort.

And suddenly out of nowhere, Natarle felt the urge to give him a quick kiss. It was a funny feeling, like how when you had the most adorable kitten in your arms you would want to hug it hard and pepper it with kisses; and that was probably what Natarle was feeling now.

She felt her cheeks heat up a bit, not surprising though, because it was usually Arnold who took the lead and kissed her first, and seldom the other way around. Natarle hesitated for a bit, worrying about whether he would wake up just in time to catch her kissing him. Deciding that it was the correct timing to do it now, she quickly landed a small peck on Arnold's lips, and then smiled to herself proudly.

The sudden ringing sound of the alarm clock caught her attention, and she swiftly landed her hand on the button, turning it off. Just as she held out her finger, ready to poke Arnold in his cheek and wake him up, Arnold softly mumbled, "Natarle…"

Natarle's heart instantly melted; Arnold was thinking of her even in his sleep. And as of that second her will to wake him up faltered. She took another close look at him, still soundly asleep, and silently recalled how late he went to bed last night because of his work. Maybe she could let him sleep for just a tiny bit longer.


	12. 15 Choices

**15. Choices**

As the door to the huge office opened for Arnold, he could not help but wonder how this place could still be so hectic when it was already forty-five minutes past the supposed off work time, in addition to the fact that this was the department in charge of administrative issues where work load was, well…_supposedly_ less demanding than other branches in the military, from what he had heard.

"Where the hell is the report I asked for five minutes ago?!!!!!"

That was Natarle without doubt. Arnold let out deep sigh and took a few steps into the office, trying to make himself seen from in between all the people hurrying around, every one of them struggling to do their job properly without pissing off their superior any further. Arnold really wanted to get his wife home as early as possible and put her to rest, considering how much she needed that in her current condition. Honestly, who would agree with her that working eight till six everyday while being five months pregnant is a totally great idea?

And not to mention with her mood swings the additional pressure she would be putting onto her already stressed subordinates. A young male officer came towards Arnold hurriedly and looked at him with pleading eyes, whispering in a low tone, "_Please_, Lieutenant Commander, take her away…" Arnold remembered seeing this young man before when he first came to work under Natarle about a month ago. Oh how keen on his job was he back then.

Filled with compassion towards the officer and all his other colleagues, Arnold picked up his courage and walked towards Natarle.

"Arnold." A mere acknowledgement of his presence was all Natarle gave him, and she quickly rushed off with the new piece of document that was just handed to her. With a bit of disappointment Arnold followed behind her into her own office. "Natarle, it's time to go home."

"Can't you see I'm busy right now?!!!" She snapped back in frustration while quickly scanning through the document in her hands, then dropping it onto her desk as she sped out of the room again.

He managed to catch up with her this time. He let out another short sigh, secretly glad in his heart that he came prepared. Before she could shout out another command he softly pulled her back and whispered into her ears, "I bought you a chocolate ice cream cake on the way here."

Arnold could not help but grin when he saw Natarle's body stiffen as she heard his words. When it came to Natarle, even if everything else fails, there is always one thing you can depend on to make her listen, none other than her one and only, but _major_ weakness – her sweet tooth. And to add to the effectiveness of this trick was her constant cravings due to her pregnancy, which only made things easier for Arnold when dealing with her temper.

Frowning, Natarle slowly turned her head around to take a close look at Arnold, trying to figure out whether he was lying about what he just said or not. She then quickly scanned the room where everyone stopped in their places, all their attention gathered onto the two of them. Just as she was about to yell at them and get them back to work, Arnold made the temptation just a wee bit more irresistible for her.

"…With strawberries on top."

Now that, Arnold knew the same moment Natarle turned to him with wide eyes, was what hit the jackpot. He watched in amusement as Natarle took in a deep breath and hesitantly shifted her gaze between him and her subordinates, pondering seriously on what she should do.

Ah, such a hard decision to make with the choices presented before her.

The clocked ticked by as the whole room of people waited for her to make up her mind, and the pressure was on. Since it was he who gave her these options, Arnold thought it was only fair if he helped her out a bit in coming to a final decision. "It's melting," he softly reminded her in an undertone.

Natarle's head immediately shot up. "Let's call it a day now, but I want you all back by eight tomorrow!!!" And she quickly rushed back into her office to pack her stuff.

With all the appreciative glances shot at him, Arnold simply gave a shrug and an uneasy grin. He could not help but worry now, if this trick would last him another five months.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry. I just **had** to poke at Natarle's addiction for sweet stuff again. I dunno why, but I really do find so much amusement in making fun of that poor woman.

And I also have to apologize to those (if there's anyone at all) who've been waiting for an update for not posting anything up since…let's see…three weeks ago. Haha. Well hey, I was on holiday for a whole week. And then went through the most hectic (but fun) week of my summer after coming back from the trip. So I think I've been relaxing myself a bit too much after all that that I couldn't come up with much to write, which is why a story as short as this one took so long. :P

Anyhoo, reviews, pretty please?


	13. 06 Cigarette

**6. Cigarette**

Natarle sat there on the edge of her bed, staring.

Her gaze was not aimed at anything particular; she was just sitting there, staring blankly at the wall opposite her.

Her mind was filled with many different thoughts, but hardly any of them she managed to fully register before they slipped away; she felt like she was thinking without actually thinking, if that even made sense at all. It was a peculiar feeling, but not foreign to her. She remembered exactly the last time she felt like this – the first night on board the Archangel. That night, when she thought finally could have some time to rest after all the chaos she realized that she actually could not fall asleep, because every time she closed her eyes, the scene she woke up to after the attack in Heliopolis would come back to her, with the faces of her dead colleagues haunting her. She would then immediately snap her eyes open again, trying to push away the mere thought that if she did fall asleep, maybe, just _maybe_, she would never be waking up again. And for that whole night she laid in her bed sleepless, her mind going through endless worthless thoughts just to keep herself from going back to the nightmare she woke up from earlier.

And now, it was that night all over again. She was once again immersed into a never-ending train of empty thoughts, because she simply did not know what else she could do to keep her mind off the death of those two teenagers.

If she said that she was then reluctant to send the two youngsters to the battlefield it would have been a blatant lie. They were so very short of personnel already, and whatever she could get hold of to keep them all alive she would make use of it without hesitation; and to her surprise Tolle was even more than willing to get onto that Skygrasper. However she did constantly remind herself that Kira and Tolle were not only teenagers, but they were never properly trained either, and every time she heard Miriallia launch them two off, she would secretly pray for their safe return. After all, she did have a heart.

She started to wonder if she had been too harsh on Miriallia, asking her to clean up Kira and Tolle's lockers right after their deaths. That girl had just lost two people very important to her, and Natarle was sure that she would have appreciated some time off. But allowing Miri – a CIC personnel – an emotional breakdown was too big a risk she was willing to take; the young girl would just have to learn it the hard way. Not that this way of thinking helped Natarle ease her conscious in any way though.

The sudden sound of her door opening snapped Natarle out from her thoughts. She watched as Arnold walked from the door slowly towards her and finally sitting down onto the bed beside her, him not making a single sound at all and his head lowered all along. Within his close proximity she could not help but notice the smell that came from him; a smell that she hated so much: cigarettes.

Arnold does not smoke, she remembers.

"You smell of cigarettes." She stated in a half complaining, half worried voice.

"Sorry." Arnold apologized half-heartedly. "I was at Murdock's."

Natarle did not respond; it was more or less what she was expecting. She never got to know the teenagers on the ship that well, but she was sure that Arnold did get along with them quite nicely. He was even somewhat a brotherly figure to them, especially to Tolle, since he was Arnold's right hand man in the bridge until he started piloting the Skygrasper. It was all too understandable that Arnold wanted to talk to Murdock after what had happened.

She moved closer towards Arnold, and gently laid her hand on top of his. He was always there to support her, and she wanted to do the same for him. She wanted to tell him that she understood.

But there it was again. The smell of cigarettes. For a second in her mind was a flashback of a once close friend of her father she thought very fondly of during her childhood. He had the same smell, and she was not too repulsed by the smell then, that was until he died in the battlefield the day she had her seventh birthday. He was supposed to turn up for the party.

Natarle could feel the discomfort building up in her stomach. She also felt Arnold's hand grasp onto her own.

_Pull him closer. Push him away._

"He was such a nice kid." Arnold's voice trembled as he wrapped his arm around Natarle's waist and buried his head in her shoulder. The stench was so intense right now that Natarle could hardly even breathe anymore. She really wanted to push him away, but her arms still found their way around Arnold's waist, and she slightly brushed her lips against his hair.

"Sorry." Arnold mumbled. "Sorry…I know I shouldn't…I…"

"It's alright." Natarle wrapped her arms tighter around him. She knew what he wanted to say, for all the things he was apologizing for in those few words he managed to mumble out. He was apologizing for what he smelt like now, for not remembering that she might have been disturbed by the teenagers' deaths as well, for being weak, for leaning on her for support and not the other way around.

But Natarle did not want it any other way. All along it was Arnold who held her up even during her weakest times, so if this time he needed someone to lean on, he could lean on her for as long as he wanted, because this time around she would be his strength.

So to hell with Murdock and his cigarettes. He could smoke as much as he wanted, even when she knew Arnold may come back into her room next time smelling even worse.

It was just the smell of cigarettes, and she would put up with it.

It was just the death of two young comrades, and she was sure could also deal with that.

Because she could not afford to be weak now. Not now.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait…Yes I do realize that it's been more than a month since my last update…Erm…I blame my homework.

I really haven't written for so long already, might have lost my touch…just gimme a shout if anyone thinks this needs to be redone. Oh, by the way, reviews please!!

Something I REALLY have to say: I have a reader from Japan!! **haruna saki**'s the one!! I was SO surprised when I got a review from her cuz I'm sort of a regular guest of her webpage…any NxN fans out there should really check it out, especially if you can read Japanese, cuz there's this SIM diary which is actually quite cute! There's link to the webpage on her profile page, and I'm putting one up on my page as well…** haruna saki**, if you're reading this, I really have to tell you how much I appreciate your encouragement…and all my other readers as well!! I promise I will do my best to finish all the titles!!


	14. 08 Birthday

**8. Birthday**

With the bedroom lights dimmed and herself warmly tucked in her bed, the book in her hands was the only thing that managed to keep Natarle awake in the quiet night. She let out a small yawn as she slowly turned the page, and then took a quick look at the clock sitting by her bedside. Ten to midnight. _'What's taking him so long tonight?'_ she wondered, starting to get worried.

Just as she was to pick up the phone, she heard the sound of a car coming up the driveway, its headlights shining through the bedroom window. She instantly dropped down her book and got out of bed, rushing downstairs to meet the person she had been waiting for all night.

"Arnold." She softly called to him the moment she spotted him coming through the front door. Her call caught his attention, and he turned towards her as she walked up to him. "Natarle, you're still up?"

She nodded lightly, helping him with his suitcase while he took off his jacket, "I wanted to wait for you."

Arnold smiled, slightly delighted about the fact that she stayed up late just to see him before going off to bed. _'She must have been lonely,' _he thought,_ 'for being stuck in the house alone most of the time.'_

It was three months after armistice, and due to the injuries by the hands of the blonde genocidal lunatic that almost took her life, she had spent all this time in this new home of theirs recovering, and mostly alone. Holidays were such a rare occurrence that it had almost become a myth, and hardly any of their former crewmates were spared from the dealings with the aftermath of the war. Pretty soon she had started asking if she could join them — which he every single time refused quickly and firmly, before she could even finish her question. He guessed that being lonely and idle had contributed to her eagerness to help out, but he knew that it was most probably her guilt that played a bigger part in her motive, something that he was still working hard to convince her out of, but that was another problem. She was making good progress in her recovery, and he knew sooner or later he would no longer have a valid reason to keep her at home, yet he did not trust to let her go back to work yet. Considering the stressfulness of the job in keeping this uneasy peace, she would most probably overwork herself, and the last thing he would want was anything that put her health at risk. She would just have to stay like this for a while longer.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting for so long," he took her hand in his own and gave a small peck on her forehead. Her cheeks went red, just as he predicted, and she looked away from him to hide her embarrassment. He took a quick look at the clock on the wall, and pulled her along with him towards the kitchen. "Come on, we've still got ten minutes."

She looked at him curiously, then at the clock, and the back at him again. He sat her down at the table, and laid down in front of her a cake box. And then she remembered — it was Christmas Eve — and she finally understood. She frowned, and in a tone that sounded slightly disapproving, yet trying not to hurt his feelings, she asked, "You still believe in Santa Claus?"

He stood dumbfounded, and it took a second or two for him to recover from her unbelievable question. He laughed as he opened up the box, showing her the pretty looking cake that sat inside, "No, silly. This is your birthday cake."

She sat up in surprise, her eyes focused carefully on the cake, reconfirming his words by the chocolate writing on the top. "Ah. You remembered?"

"Of course I did. Happy birthday, Natarle."

"Th-thank you," she replied quietly and sat still in her seat, a bit unsure of what she should be doing next.

Her response confused Arnold; it was not quite what he was expecting, especially because it involved a cake, which in most cases she would be thrilled. But then again, it was her birthday, and for him to take only ten minutes to celebrate with her obviously did not make it look like he had put much effort in it, and as reasonable a person as she was, she was probably still a bit disappointed. "I know this isn't much, I'm sorry I couldn't get home earlier."

"No, no! It's not that!" She immediately tried to explain, not wanting Arnold to get the wrong impression. "I know you're busy, I understand. It's just… I'm not quite used to celebrating my own birthday."

Once again her reply surprises him. He was aware of her affluent background, and from what he understood, she had a really nice relationship with her family; he had always imagined her being pampered with parties and presents on that special day every year, because he just could not see how something as important as her birthday would be ignored by those whom she had always talked fondly of. "Did your family not celebrate your birthdays with you?"

"They used to, when I was still a child," she recalled. "But then as I grew older, birthday parties became Christmas balls, because with all those connections my family had, we were always on the guest list, and I guess it was a kind of responsibility to turn up for those events. As time passed I just felt that my birthday didn't really mean much anymore." She recounted her past easily with a nonchalant voice, but when she was to start again, her tone became slightly more expressive, with a small hint of disappointment, "People never seem to remember my birthday anyway, since it's so close to Christmas, which gives them a better reason to celebrate."

Hearing this, Arnold gave a loud chuckle. He would never have guessed she had such a Christmas/birthday complex, and seeing her mope over such a matter with the childish pout on her face reminded him of how he fell in love with her in the first place. He slipped his fingers between hers and held on tight, "But _I_ will always remember, because it's the most important day of the year for me."

"How is it the most important?" Natarle asked with a look that showed she was unconvinced.

He leaned in closer, and there was confidence in the smile that he gave her in his reply, "Because that special day twenty-five years ago decided what we've become now, and how our future will be."

She blushed at his words, and in an attempt to look less awkward she retorted, "Why can't it be the other way around?"

"Because I was born first, six months before you," Arnold answered matter-of-factly, "I was the one who did the waiting." He watched as her already pink cheeks turned into a deeper shade of red, and the troubled look on her face as she tried to think of something else to say. It was too nice of a scene, and at that moment he kind of wished Santa really existed, because he already knew what he would ask for.

"Thank you, Arnold," she mumbled after moments of silence. With her cheeks still bright red, she gave him a genuine smile of thanks, "Thank you for remembering my birthday, and thank you for everything you've done for me. And thank you…f-for…"

He knew what she wanted to say, and he also knew it would probably take some time for her to finish those few words, because she was simply too shy to let those words come out as easily as other could. He did not bother to wait, instead decided to finish the job for her himself; he tipped forward, and pressed a kiss on her lips.

"Happy birthday, Natarle. I love you."

* * *

A/N: Happy birthday to Natarle!! And Merry X'mas to everyone else!!

Heh, I can't believe I actually managed to finish this in time. I wrote this whole thing in about two or three days, so it's kinda rushed, considering how slowly I write these days. Nor did I double check my work. :P But at least I kept to my words (it's prolly a first)!! And I realized that every since I started writing FMN I never updated this story collection, and I haven't written anything that's NOT about angst and drama either, so here's something slightly more refreshing. Have fun reading, and happy holidays to all of you!!


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